Interior designer Jennifer Worts wanted to create a summer home that was grand enough for her clients’ large-scale gatherings but intimate enough to serve as a retreat from busy urban life. The stunning blue-painted boathouse is nestled into the rocky shoreline’s embrace. A wraparound deck is perfect for barbecues and weekend sunbathing.

Worts chose black honed-granite countertops with a soft matte finish that act as a foil to this kitchen's shiny white cabinetry. Brushed-nickel faucets are warmer than traditional chrome and go well with stainless steel lights and appliances.

With its post-and-beam construction, this gazebo is a breezy summer dining room. A dark dining set with country charm grounds the space and contrasts nicely with the cedar. The rustic chandelier is a local find.

Designer Jennifer Worts carried her practical approach to decorating through to the guest bedroom, with its casual yet coordinated bed coverings and clean, almost minimalist beadboard walls and contrasting wood ceilings. Striped curtains, headboards covered in bright red ticking and red, white and blue quilts team up for a breezy nautical effect.

Although Michelle and David kept the footprint of their original boathouse, they raised the entire structure, adding three feet to the lower level to accommodate David’s sails and boards. To capture the views, they installed french doors on the lower level and reasonably priced stock siding doors facing north and west on the upper level.

In this boathouse’s narrow upper-level bedroom, designer and owner Michelle Lloyd installed floating ledges flanking the bed. “Having no tables or table lamps lends ease to a tight space,” she explains. The antique French sconces, which the couple had owned for years, were painted white and capped with elongated contemporary shades.

Because this cottage only has one bedroom, multifunctional pieces in the living room make sense. Painted bamboo daybeds can be pulled apart to create two beds, while the “coffee table” is actually a camp cot. White terrycloth upholstery is easy to clean and swimsuit-friendly.

David and Michelle chose sleek, minimalist furniture for their deck, letting the lush green surroundings take center-stage. Two lounge chairs are paired with tray tables for sun-soaked afternoons by the lake.

The open-air shower on Michelle Lloyd and David Bermann’s boathouse was modelled after the cabanas at Miami’s Delano hotel. For privacy, Michelle draped it with inexpensive white nylon shower-curtain liners. “They’re so durable,” she says. “You could use them for privacy on any outdoor structure.”